MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG 2: MARCH OF THE MINIS BY NINTENDO (4 stars)
Platform: Nintendo DS.
Rated: E.
Rather than playing like Donkey Kong or even the Game Boy Advance's first Mario vs. Donkey Kong title, this game plays a lot more like Lemmings ... only better. With the DS's stylus, you'll activate a series of miniature Marios to perform various tasks simultaneously. A lot of multi-tasking is required, since these Marios' tiny brains can't identify traps and pitfalls without your guidance. Some of the later levels are puzzlingly brilliant, and if you disagree, you're free to build your own brain-teasing obstacle courses. It all adds up to make a game as simple but challenging as ... well, Donkey Kong. BATEN KAITOS ORIGINS BY NINTENDO (3 1/2 stars)
Platform: GameCube. Rated: T.
GameCube has been notoriously starved for RPGs throughout its lifespan, so fans will no doubt be pleased by this prequel to Baten Kaitos. Whether or not you'll like it depends on your affinity for card-based battles. Personally, when I'm fighting some giant-clawed dinosaur creature in a vibrant fantasy world, I don't want my chances for victory to depend on how well I can stack a deck of cards.
DRAGON QUEST HEROES: ROCKET SLIME BY SQUARE ENIX (4 stars)
Platform: Nintendo DS. Rated: E.
If you've ever played a Dragon Quest game, you've killed your share of adorable little slime blobs. Well, guess what? Those blobs are more than just easy experience points—they have feelings, and they miss their friends. But you can redeem yourself by helping the tank-driving blob, Rocket, save his slimy little friends in this fun, Zelda-style adventure.
NHL 2K7 BY 2K SPORTS (2 1/2 stars)
Platform: Xbox 360. Rated: E10+.
Poor NHL 2K7. Last year this game would have easily maintained 2K's place as King of the Ice, but since then, EA's NHL 07 and its innovative thumbstick controls have made us wonder why we ever played video-game hockey the other way. 2K7 is that other way, and its antiquated controls make it feel like a highly polished approximation of table hockey.